Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to control systems for peripheral devices, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to systems and methods for wireless control of peripheral devices including, but not limited to, electronic signs disposed relative to transit vehicles.
History of Related Art
Signage is a critical aspect of communication in our organized society. Signage used in the public-transit industry is a well known example of this critical use. A plurality of signs may often be positioned in and/or around a bus, train, or other mode of transit to display information to passengers, potential passengers, and/or other observers. For example, busses often display route information on signs disposed on the outside of busses so the sign information can easily be observed. Rider decisions are often based on such signs. The information may include the name of the route that particular bus is servicing. In that way, potential passengers waiting at a bus stop will know which bus to board.
In early days of mass transportation, bus operators often used a placard displaying a route number which was placed in a window of the bus. Eventually, such placards were replaced by electronic signs capable of displaying a selected route number thereon. To power the electronic signs on the bus, a power cord had to be run to each electronic sign. A route number to be displayed also had to be input into the electronic signs. The route number could either be manually input into each electronic sign or a communication link had to be hardwired from a control box to each sign to be controlled.
More advanced hardwired systems have utilized master and slave module configurations. For example, various prior art systems include several peripheral (slave) modules and a master controller. The master may be hardwired to the slave modules with a RS-485 bus. The master may control the slave peripherals utilizing a serial protocol such as wired RS-485 communications operating at 19200 Baud. The communication protocol may be based on the Intel Hex protocol using ASCII characters.
Hardwiring a control box to a plurality of electronic signs presents a number of drawbacks. For example, the wires for communicating with the signs cost money to manufacture and install into the busses. Additionally, the wires for communicating with the signs add additional weight to the busses. Additional weight increases fuel consumption, thereby increasing the cost to operate the busses. Another issue is the difficulty in maintaining and/or replacing the wires.